Captain's Log

Lyme

It had been about 3 years since I’d visited the National Trust’s Lyme Park (see Black Sponds Lyme Time). My visit had been part of my Ethels Venture and had included the peaks of Sponds Hill and Black Hill. The House and its Park sit between the  urban sprawl of Stockport and Manchester to the west, and the rolling hills of the Peak District to the east. I’d really enjoyed my walk around the area last time and I did wonder why it had taken me so long to make a return journey.  On my last trip here, I had a wander around the House’s pretty gardens. I’d do the same today, but I also decided to incorporate a tour of the House after the walk. The Captain’s Log of the tour of the House and garden can be found in NT Lyme. 

Today’s walk would set off from Lyme Park's main carpark which is near to the House. I’d then walk to the main entrance through the Park before field hopping my way southwards. The Ethel, Sponds Hill, would be on my itinerary, before I’d head northwards to visit the Bowstones, the remains of Anglo-Saxon cross shafts.  My route would follow the boundary of Lyme Park, around the northern side of Bollinhurst and Horse Coppice reservoirs, before returning to the House via the intriguing building called the Cage. 

Lyme Park

I reached Lyme Park at around 08:30 and found nobody at the toll booth. It appears that if you arrive early, then you don’t pay to enter the Park. A school party had just disembarked at the main carpark and the area was noisy with excited kids. I made my way past the small lake and entered Crow Wood. There was a lot of open land within the Park, but there were plenty of fields and areas that were fenced off too. I found the footpaths to be obvious or reasonably well signed throughout the walk. I followed a  pleasant trail and it drifted in and out of woodland. Eventually it led me to a tarmac road near Elmerhurst Cottage.  I started the road southwards. There was a mile or so of road walking on this walk, but I never met a car on any part of it and so it wasn't really a problem. On my left, I could now see the Cage on the top of Cage Hill. This was quite an odd looking building and its construction and purpose have been lost in time. Today, it was wearing a coat of scaffolding; obviously some renovation work was taking place. 

I left the road and started to field-hop. In one of the fields some cows had congregated around my exit style. They were reluctant to move as I approached and one took umbrage as I shooed it away. It was the fastest stile traverse I think I’ve ever made. There were excellent views over to the west. The centre of Manchester could clearly be seen and jets would frequently fly over it on the way to the airport. Further south I could see the massive dish of Jodrell Bank telescope. It was almost pointing in my direction today and  I wondered if the astronomers were spying on me. I dropped down to the road near West Parkgate. 

Sponds Hill

My route only followed the road for a few yards before it turned off onto a path and started heading uphill. I came across a large shed alongside the path. A sign on the outside said ‘Step Inside. Rest A While, Light A Candle, Say A Prayer. God Is Love.’ It had procured my curiosity and so I stepped inside to find what looked like a makeshift church. There was a table  at the far end supporting a multitude of candles. Chairs had been distributed along the sides. The walls were decorated with various religious paraphernalia. The shed had a stone floor and the space was light and airy.  The visitor's book was well used. 

‘Did you get it?’ A couple approached me with their two dogs and they’d caught me reviewing my latest photos on the LED screen of my camera. Moments earlier a Kestrel had hovered about 20 metres in front of me. After a couple of seconds, it had plunged down and then flew off with an object dangling between its talons. The whole operation had been so fast, that I’d not had time to change my camera to a fast shutter speed and so had to trust that my slower landscape settings would suffice. They hadn't and so every one of my half dozen photos of the bird were blurred. Even so, I could make out that the Kestrel had caught a mouse. Poor old mouse! I chatted with the couple for a while. They were cockneys and had recently moved up here. They loved the countryside and had no regrets about moving northwards.  

My route took me around the edge of the stone wall that marks the boundary of Lyme Park. I diverted off the public footpath and headed up the grassy slope of a field to the trig on the top of Sponds Hill. It was a fine all round view from the trig.  Looking eastwards I could see the rolling hills of the Peak District, and to the south, I could see the pointy peak of Shuttlingsloe. This was the furthest south I’d reach on today’s walk. I went through an unlocked gate of the field and joined a bridleway heading northwards. 

Bowstones

I’d dropped in on the Bowstones on my previous walk, 3 years ago. They are tucked away in a small enclosure at the roadhead near Bowstonegate, and are easy to miss unless you keep a canny eye. The Bowstones are a pair of Anglo-Saxon cross shafts that are mounted upright within the enclosure. They are decorated with carvings, but these have eroded somewhat. Robin Hood inevitably gets in on the story and legend has it that the stones derived their name from their use by Robin Hood and his (merry) men to re-string their bows. Why they would want stones to restring their bows is a question that crossed my mind. Later in the day I found additional parts of the cross in the chapel at Lyme House and these would have surmounted the shafts at Bowstonegate.     

I followed the single track road downhill. I could see across to Black Hill, which I’d ascended on my last trip to the area. There was a good view down the valley south of it, towards Whaley Bridge. I left the road at Cock Knoll and started field-hopping again. It was an interesting track and it didn’t really feel much like field-hopping. I came to the small Bollinhurst Bridge which had been fenced off due to it being unsafe. Rather than carry out a repair, an alternative bridge and platform had been constructed alongside it. Maybe the bridge was unrepairable. 

Reservoirs And The Cage

The trail led me to Bollinhurst Reservoir. Rather frustratingly, a high stone wall ran alongside the reservoir and so it wasn’t easy to get a good view of it. On the occasions when I potentially could have got a good view, trees and vegetation then blocked the scene. In the end I found just one spot where I could look over the reservoir and up to the Cage on the hillside beyond. The Horse Coppice Reservoir remained completely out of sight. 

I waited for a dozen female Duke Of Edinburghers to make their way through a gate. They all ignored me, except for the last one who thanked me for waiting. There is hope for humanity yet. I was back in Lyme Park now and I headed along a trail over open parkland, up to the Cage. As I got higher the views opened up and I could see the sprawl of Manchester again over to the west, and the hills of the Peak District to the east. 

The scaffolding around the Cage was covered in red netting, obscuring any view of the building. This was a shame, since it was quite an impressive sight on the top of the hill. It seems odd that for such a substantial structure, nobody really knows its purpose. It has been suggested it might have been a banqueting house. It was dismantled in 1734 and rebuilt in 1737 and so somebody must have thought it was worth the expense. It is an excellent navigational point since it is visible from a lot of places within the Park.     

I dropped down to Lyme House and then to the carpark. I stopped for a coffee at the café there before heading back to the House to take a tour (see NT Lyme).  Today’s walk was very enjoyable. The terrain had been easy walking and I’d enjoyed sunshine for most of the day. The views from the higher sections of the walk were extensive and well worth the effort to get there.